Of Preconceived notions and perceptions........



Most of the time, our actions are a direct result of our preconceived notions, which shapes our perceptions of certain areas, people etc.

What is the underlining cause of the preconceived notion? Well first of all, media comes to mind. It is quite obvious that the way a certain area is profiled/projected on the news shapes the viewpoint of the audience.






It might or might not be the true depiction of that area. For example, when one watches the news and the reporter is reporting on a particular issue, what tends to happen is that the reporter, or, in this case the media outlet is not giving a broader picture.



This confuses the viewer and in turn shapes an opinion, based on the report aired or written for either broadcast or print. We tend to imagine that media does not play an important role, but this assumption is incorrect as it does help in shaping the opinion of the people.
The misunderstandings and misconceptions arise and then they are fueled, and viola..... you see unrest.
Now the flip side is that when the media reports, it is highlighting a certain issue which might otherwise be overlooked. At least now people pay attention, therefore, any news is 'good' news.
Lets break it down and see how it works, out of a population of a hundred thousand, one woman is subjected to torture, and the media is reporting "X area, known for violence against women".



The fact was that a case was reported of violence, it took place in area "X", but "X" has a population of a hundred thousand, so generalizing the area actually is shaping others' point of view against that area.
The same can be seen about people, generalizing the behaviors of people, based on their ethnicity also is projecting a negative image in the minds of others, which in turn gives rise to discrimination.


So when one sees a problem, one tends to focus only on the problem rather than see the underlying cause and a solution to a problem.
The preconceived notions are also shaped by the environment you live in and the input you get while growing up.


The problem with preconceived notion is that, we tend to become judgmental towards others and we do not necessarily even bother to hear the others' point of view.
A prime example of our preconceived notion was observed almost a month back in a beautiful mountainous country, Nepal.




A group of Pakistani journalists were selected for a training in journalism by ICFJ, United Nations Alliance for Civilization and Search for Common Ground.
An interesting thing was observed, when the main stream media and religious media were to interact with each other.


Since there is little interaction between the two, a lot of misconceptions were present, which obviously gives rise to resentment in some cases.
When we interacted with the religious media group, a lot of issues were brought to the fore and therefore a lot of unsaid resentments found an outlet and the misunderstandings cleared.


I will quote another example, when I traveled to Afghanistan. Obviously I was told that it is a dangerous country where women should not step out without a veil. I wanted to give respect to the people and so I tried to be as demure as possible, with a headscarf and everything.





What I observed was a complete contradiction to what I had perceived. I met women who were progressive, intelligent and were not carrying headscarves, had an opinion and were not afraid to express it.
I was also very pleasantly surprised by their hospitality, was invited to a local wedding where there was singing and dancing, and trust me, I was so ecstatic to see the positivity.
Recently, I was in Burewala, which is about three and a half hours drive from Multan. I was told that people are conservative, I should be careful and all the rest.
The people were so hospitable, decent and intelligent. They were very open to new ideas and were not afraid to express themselves in front of an MNA.
I was again pleasantly surprised by this interaction.
The reason for quoting personal examples is simple, that one always has a choice, to see the positive side or the negative side. The choice has always been yours and this choice shapes your opinions and perceptions of the world.
If the media is responsible in distorting our point of view, then if we take personal responsibility in finding out what really is, things will get better.
As in my previous blogs, I will repeat that I have not lost hope.